Laurie HawnConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question, but our priorities are clear.

We are committed to Afghanistan militarily until 2011. Our soldiers have done an incredible job, along with our humanitarian workers and everyone else involved in the mission. We will probably continue in Afghanistan in a humanitarian way and in a development way beyond 2011, but the military mission will end in 2011 as per the motion that was passed in the House. That is the answer to the question.

Mr. Speaker, this government's economic strategy is a failure. GDP dropped by 3.4% in the last quarter, the worst result since 1991. Because of the Conservative's policies, for the first time in 60 years our exports have fallen for a sixth consecutive quarter.

What does the Prime Minister have to say about such a failure? Does he realize that he needs to change course? Yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, we are in a global recession and everyone knows that it did not start in Canada. We are taking action and to counter this crisis we have tabled some very important measures in this Parliament. I urge the members opposite to vote for these important measures.

Mr. Speaker, Canada has now suffered the largest quarterly contraction since 1991, and while most Canadians were in shock throughout this process, with mass layoffs and losing their savings, what did the Prime Minister do? He was in total denial.

First he said that there was no recession and then he said that it was a technical recession. Now we find ourselves in the worst recession in a generation.

Does the Prime Minister now realize that with so many Canadians thrown out of work, his failure to recognize the problem is hurting Canadian families?

Mr. Speaker, they talk about a failure to recognize a problem. There is a leader of a party that wanted to prevent the elected government from tabling its budget, who then went out and said that he would oppose the budget no matter what was in it, and now he tries to invent reasons to block money flowing from this budget.

His position is not only denial, it is completely irresponsible, and the NDP should actually do something positive around here for a change.

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about the impact of the government's policies, because relief to Canadians who are hurting as a result of the recession is very severe. The aid they need is coming too slowly and it is covering too few people.

Today, 30,000 Atlantic Canadians who are out of work are on waiting lists to get some EI help. This is at a time when Statistics Canada shows that 43% of people and 39% of women who are trying to get help from EI cannot get it mostly because they have part time jobs and other rules that prevent them from getting help.

Will the Prime Minister tell the House now what he will do to help those--

Mr. Speaker, there is a leader who, when we brought forward measures to help Canadian workers, said that he would oppose them even before he read them. There is a leader who now says that the money being spent involves abuse, when in fact we have not yet authorized the expenditure of a single dollar.

That is how irresponsible that party is. It is about time he took the economic crisis seriously and helped pass these measures to actually help Canadian families that need help.

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has again changed his tune with regard to the mission in Afghanistan. Furthermore, we had to hear it second-hand. He told the Americans: “Quite frankly, we are not going to ever defeat the insurgency”.

This is the same prime minister who called us all sorts of names and questioned our patriotism every time we told him that the solution in Afghanistan was not a military one. We know that there are also problems with the training of Afghan police.

Has the Prime Minister finally informed our troops that their duty until 2011 is simply to serve their time?

Laurie HawnConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague should not belittle the efforts of the Canadian Forces members like that when he says that they will be marking time. I have been there several times, as has he. They are doing exceptional work on the ground day to day under very tough circumstances and we all should be proud of that.

They will continue to do their jobs until 2011. Canada's role beyond that will undoubtedly be in the area of development in governments and humanitarian aid, but our soldiers will come home proudly in 2011 having done an exceptional job that all members, including that member, should be very proud of.

Mr. Speaker, I have been there too. I am not the one who is abdicating now. This is what the Prime Minister said in 2006:

Once we get rid of the bad people, we can carry on with full force in terms of the reconstruction and development,.

Now he is saying that we will never defeat the insurgency. For the sake of our troops, their families and all Canadians, the Prime Minister, for once, must come clean. Why is the Conservative government abdicating now? Why the new shift? Did the Prime Minister at least inform our allies at NATO?

Laurie HawnConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question from the hon. member for “see how mad I can get” but nothing has changed. From the very start of the mission in Afghanistan, we have been taking a whole of government approach, which requires a strong military presence for a blanket of security over the other operations. More and more, as time goes by we are transitioning to humanitarian aid, governance and development, and that will continue after our military mission ends.

Once again, it is a mission that we all can be very proud of. Canadians are proud of the job the men and women over there have done and I know that member is also proud of them.

Mr. Speaker, the government can hardly pretend that the Prime Minister's remarks do not represent something of a change for him. It is not a change for the rest of us but it certainly is for him in terms of the position he has taken.

Does the Prime Minister not realize the implications of that kind of statement for our NATO allies, for our troops and for the mission they are carrying on? Does he also not realize that other countries are engaging in far more diplomacy, politics and reconstruction than Canada? I wonder what the minister intends to do about that.

Laurie HawnConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, I simply reject the premise of the question that other countries are doing so much more than Canada in terms of development.

If the member had been there, and I am not sure whether he has, he would have seen Canadian Forces members by the hundreds out there doing development. When people talk about $10 of military to $1 of development, it is absolutely a false statement because a lot of that $10 that they attribute to the military is in fact development.

The Prime Minister's position has not changed. This is a whole of government approach. It will transition more and more toward development and governance and less and less toward Canadian military involvement as we equip the Afghans to take care of that themselves.

Mr. Speaker, it is very clear that the government is trying to have it both ways. The Prime Minister's statement came right out of, whether it is left field or right field, it certainly came as a surprise to a great many people listening to the Prime Minister. He needs to recognize that simple fact. He also needs to recognize that from General Petraeus to Henry Kissinger to so many other people, they are looking at this issue in the broadest way with respect to the politics and diplomacy of the region.

Where is the Canadian diplomatic intervention that is supporting and backing up our troops? That is the kind of measures we need and the kind of help our troops need to do the job they will be doing.

Laurie HawnConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence

Mr. Speaker, the truth is that we have been working with our allies for years on this mission: the 60 signatories to the Afghanistan Compact, of which Canada is one, and the up to now 50 or so allies working on the ground in Afghanistan. We are engaged with them militarily and diplomatically through humanitarian measures. We are engaged at all levels and our men and women at all levels have done an incredible job. That member should be proud of them.

In fact, this did not come out of left or right field. The Prime Minister has been hitting them straight down the middle all along.

Mr. Speaker, first the government denied that we are in a recession, then it gave us a statement that was more ideological than economic and suspended the work of the House. Now it is threatening to go to the polls if the opposition refuses to give it a blank cheque for its stimulus plan, which is plainly inadequate and insufficient.

Not since 1991 has the GDP dropped this much, so perhaps the Prime Minister should pay attention to the Bloc Québécois' suggestions for dealing with the crisis rather than constantly threatening to call an election.

Mr. Speaker, the allegation that the special budget fund that has been set up is without conditions is certainly not correct. This fund is governed by the same conditions that all of our budget money is governed by and the projects or programs must be economic plan initiatives included in budget 2009 and passed by Parliament. The appropriates checks and balances must be in place. Treasury Board approval must be obtained. Existing requirements on accountability and reporting must be met.

The Prime Minister has to accept the fact that he has a minority government. He has to bear that in mind and work together with the opposition. By asking us to sign a blank cheque for $3 billion without even listening to our suggestions, he is showing us that he just does not get it.

Will the Prime Minister admit that he is doing anything but boost public confidence during this time of economic crisis?

Mr. Speaker, that is a remarkable statement coming from an individual and a party that has contributed nothing in terms of any positive ideas toward stimulating the economy. That is the disappointment. Now that member and his party are standing in the way of allowing this money to flow to Canadians so that these important projects can take place. That member should reconsider his position, vote for this budget and help the families in his constituency.

Mr. Speaker, the Canada Revenue Agency issued a cigarette manufacturing permit to a man who is now under investigation for drug trafficking in Canada, and who is also charged in the United States with running a marijuana ring. What is even more astonishing and disturbing is that this permit was issued despite the strong opposition of the band council where the accused's business is located.

In light of the seriousness of the suspicions surrounding this individual, would the Canada Revenue Agency not be fully justified in suspending his permit until the RCMP concludes its investigation?

Before issuing a tobacco sale permit, we check to see if the individual has a criminal record. Then, we review the business plan submitted to us by the company. Finally, we visit the premises to ensure that everything is in compliance with the business plan presented to us. We also explain to the prospective permit holder his responsibilities and obligations.

In this case, all these steps were taken. If the facts do not reflect what we were told, of course we can revoke the individual's permit.

Mr. Speaker, if the member knew more about the issue, he might not be asking the same question.

I will say it again. We conduct checks. We ensure that individuals comply with the rules when they apply for permits. That was done in this case.

If someone does not comply with the requirements of the law, if an individual does not do what he told us he would do, of course we can revoke his permit. The member is well aware that there are certain things which I cannot mention because of confidentiality.

Mr. Speaker, workers across Canada continue to face delays in having EI claims processed. According to PSAC, over 30,000 people are waiting to get their claims processed in Atlantic Canada alone, 8,000 of those are waiting more than 28 days.

Today Statistics Canada indicates that GDP has contracted by 3.4%. That means more heavy job losses. Yet the minister responsible for EI continues to be oblivious to Canadians who are losing their jobs.

Why is the minister incapable of understanding the hardship suffered by Canadian families that have to wait for their EI cheques?